London - Tough place to drive a Porsche
02-20-2008, 11:30 AM
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London - Tough place to drive a Porsche
I found this in today's Financial Times.
Porsche to challenge London C-charge
By Bob Sherwood, London and South-East Correspondent
Published: February 20 2008 03:09 | Last updated: February 20 2008 03:09
Porsche, the luxury carmaker whose products are the ultimate emblem of success in the City, is planning a legal challenge to prevent its customers from paying the £25-a-day ($49) London congestion charge.
The German company intends to seek a judicial review aimed at quashing Mayor Ken Livingstone’s plan to increase the charge for the most polluting cars from October.
Porsche to fight VW-Law - Jan-25Porsche chief defends €70m salary - Nov-28Porsche profits by CFO’s hedges - Nov-28Share options speed Porsche toward profit - Nov-12S&P wary of Porsche role at VW - Oct-26VW’s unions gear up for Porsche battle - Oct-25At a time of year when bonus-fuelled bankers are traditionally poring over the company’s brochures, Porsche said that its solicitors were formally writing to the mayor to challenge his decision.
Transport for London predicts that 22,000 fewer cars will be driven in the congestion charge zone when those that emit more than 225 g/km of C02 are liable for the higher charge.
Among those that would be hit are Porsche’s Cayenne 4x4, which can be bought for about £50,000 with a 4.8-litre engine, and the iconic 911, which has an engine size up to 3.8 litres and a price of up to £80,000.
Porsche said it did not know what impact the increase would have on its UK sales, but it insisted that the charge would unfairly penalise successful people who generated wealth in the capital. Andy Goss, managing director of Porsche Cars GB, said the charge was “unjust” and the company had to protect its brand and its customers in London.
He said: “This was a last resort for us but we have been pushed into a corner.
“Successful people from across the world will start to think twice about basing themselves here if they think they are going to be used as cash cows for city hall.” Mr Goss said the £25 charge would affect other carmakers and Porsche had decided to act out of a sense of principle that it would be bad for London’s business while having little effect on C02 emissions.
Owners of high C02 emitting cars who live within the prime Porsche-owning territory of the central and west London congestion charge zone will lose their residents’ discount and see their daily charge rise from 80p to £25. About 17 per cent of cars currently being driven in the zone would be liable for the higher charge.
Mr Livingstone’s office hit back, accusing Porsche of trying to “impose gas-guzzling polluting cars on Londoners who do not want them”. The mayor’s office said: “Porsche are trying to deprive Londoners of their democratic right to decide in the mayoral election on May 1 whether they want gas-guzzling and polluting cars to drive in London when there is absolutely no need for them to do so.”
Porsche said the mayor would have 14 days to respond to its letter. In the highly likely event that he did not change his position, the company said it would file a claim form for judicial review to the High Court.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Porsche to challenge London C-charge
By Bob Sherwood, London and South-East Correspondent
Published: February 20 2008 03:09 | Last updated: February 20 2008 03:09
Porsche, the luxury carmaker whose products are the ultimate emblem of success in the City, is planning a legal challenge to prevent its customers from paying the £25-a-day ($49) London congestion charge.
The German company intends to seek a judicial review aimed at quashing Mayor Ken Livingstone’s plan to increase the charge for the most polluting cars from October.
Porsche to fight VW-Law - Jan-25Porsche chief defends €70m salary - Nov-28Porsche profits by CFO’s hedges - Nov-28Share options speed Porsche toward profit - Nov-12S&P wary of Porsche role at VW - Oct-26VW’s unions gear up for Porsche battle - Oct-25At a time of year when bonus-fuelled bankers are traditionally poring over the company’s brochures, Porsche said that its solicitors were formally writing to the mayor to challenge his decision.
Transport for London predicts that 22,000 fewer cars will be driven in the congestion charge zone when those that emit more than 225 g/km of C02 are liable for the higher charge.
Among those that would be hit are Porsche’s Cayenne 4x4, which can be bought for about £50,000 with a 4.8-litre engine, and the iconic 911, which has an engine size up to 3.8 litres and a price of up to £80,000.
Porsche said it did not know what impact the increase would have on its UK sales, but it insisted that the charge would unfairly penalise successful people who generated wealth in the capital. Andy Goss, managing director of Porsche Cars GB, said the charge was “unjust” and the company had to protect its brand and its customers in London.
He said: “This was a last resort for us but we have been pushed into a corner.
“Successful people from across the world will start to think twice about basing themselves here if they think they are going to be used as cash cows for city hall.” Mr Goss said the £25 charge would affect other carmakers and Porsche had decided to act out of a sense of principle that it would be bad for London’s business while having little effect on C02 emissions.
Owners of high C02 emitting cars who live within the prime Porsche-owning territory of the central and west London congestion charge zone will lose their residents’ discount and see their daily charge rise from 80p to £25. About 17 per cent of cars currently being driven in the zone would be liable for the higher charge.
Mr Livingstone’s office hit back, accusing Porsche of trying to “impose gas-guzzling polluting cars on Londoners who do not want them”. The mayor’s office said: “Porsche are trying to deprive Londoners of their democratic right to decide in the mayoral election on May 1 whether they want gas-guzzling and polluting cars to drive in London when there is absolutely no need for them to do so.”
Porsche said the mayor would have 14 days to respond to its letter. In the highly likely event that he did not change his position, the company said it would file a claim form for judicial review to the High Court.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
02-20-2008, 11:46 AM
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Supposedly a congestion charge - what's reducing congestion (other than nasal congestion) got to do with emissions (rhetorical question); it applies to all vehicles over 2400cc - IMO he'll (Livingstone) be voted out! Good luck Andy Goss I say.
02-20-2008, 03:39 PM
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Three Wheelin'
I wonder how "Red Ken" would answer if he knew how much London buses and cabs pollute the atmosphere. By comparison Porsche's are angels. Every time I go back to London I can't believe how bad the air quality is. Subjectively I would put it up there with Milano and Sao Paulo.
